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Welcome to The Bossy Nurse Podcast, a show about nurse creators, innovators, risk-takers, and the ideas that shape their success.
In this episode of The Bossy Nurse Podcast, Marsha speaks with Janine Kelbach, RNC-OB, nurse writer and host of The Savvy Scribe Podast. They discuss what it really takes to go from “I like writing” to building a nurse-led agency— and why credibility matters even more in the age of AI
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Key takeaways
- Credibility is the new currency when anyone can generate “health content” in seconds, nurses with real clinical expertise are the difference-maker.
- You can start small and build momentum by replacing one shift at a time instead of trying to leap straight into full-time entrepreneurship.
- Janine’s agency model grows from a real need: too much specialized content demand (especially during COVID) and not enough time for one writer to handle it all.
- AI can make parts of the process faster, but it can’t replace clinical judgment and responsible review in high-stakes health topics.
- If you want writing work through an agency, “nurse writer” isn’t enough—you need writing samples, deadlines, and quality control.
Show notes / what you’ll hear in this episode:
- Hear how Janine starts freelance writing in 2015 after realizing she wants a way to be home more.
- The moment the Janine’s freelance business shifts from solo writer to an agency-style model.
- What “running an agency” actually means: finding clients, contracts, invoicing, onboarding, and having an operations system to distribute assignments.
- Hear what changes when you start scaling and how vetting protects clients (and the agency).
- Diving into the AI conversation and why 2023 was a scary time for Janine.
Resources mentioned
- Register for Janine’s webinar: “How to replace one 12 hour shift per month as a nurse writer”
- Savvy Nurse Writer Kickstarter workbook (roadmap from nurse to paid writer): Join Janine’s free community and get the workbook.
- Join Janine’s Plan Produce Profit Membership. The Only Business Community Built for Nurses Who Want to Become Confident, Paid Writers.
- “Become a Health Writer” Workshop: A blast from the past (2020 to be exact). Get the workshop hosted by Janine and Marsha free by watching here.
- Listen to Janine’s Podcast: The Savvy Scribe Podcast.
- Nurse.org 2026 Best of Nursing Awards: Vote for The Bossy Nurse Podcast in the Content Creators’ category here.
- Free resources from Marsha: Click here.
Bio: Janine Kelbach, RNC-OB
Janine Kelbach, RNC-OB, started her nursing career in a community hospital learning the basics of labor and delivery, admitting patients, the normal newborn, and scrubbing into the operating room. She quickly became a breastfeeding resource nurse and certified CPR instructor.
In 2007, she took a position in a higher acuity facility in the Cleveland, Ohio area. There she worked postpartum and labor and delivery. She became the assistant manager and educated new nurses, developed educational content, and managed other labor and delivery specifications. She has obtained her high-risk OB certification and her BSN.
Timestamps
- 00:17:53 — Janine shares when she starts her writing career (2015) and why.
- 00:22:38 — Janine shares when she opens “Write RN.”
- 00:34:09 — The agency origin story: helping people, COVID-era demand, and subcontracting.
- 00:37:07 — What Janine handles vs. what her ops lead manages in the agency workflow.
- 00:58:59 — AI changes the writing landscape—and why demand and validation still matter.
- 01:02:14 — AI tools for speed (like outlines) vs. not using tools to “write it all.”
- 01:05:15 — Janine’s webinar title and the “replace one shift” idea.
- 01:07:35 — Janine picks “innovator” (and explains why).
